Japan's Security Concerns Admist the Trump Administration

U.S. President Donald Trump and Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe walk together to their joint press conference in the East Room at the White House on February 10, 2017 in Washington, DC.

Chip Somodevilla
/ Getty Images News

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Lake Effect's Mitch Teich with professor Fumiaki Kubo of the University of Tokyo.

When North Korea and South Korea competed in several Winter Olympic sports as a unified team, the news seemed to be a rare de-escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula. So, too, with the report this week that North Korea may be open to scaling back its nuclear efforts.

But while that all seems like welcome news, there are many countries that are still wary and are watching North Korea closely. Japan, for example, has a long history of animosity with North Korea.

Doctor Fumiaki Kubo, professor of American Government and History at the University of Tokyo, says that the direction of the United States' national security policy has always been a serious concern for Japan.

Dr. Kubo notes that while President Trump has become less isolationist since his campaign, trade policy is of greater concern. "Sometimes (Trump) made remarks pretty negative about Japan on trade reform, so we still have some concern. And also, sometimes what he says is a little bit inconsistent - even on North Korea," he says. "That is also a little bit worrisome to Japan, but overall I think the current situation is much better than it looked when he got elected."

While North Korea is the immediate concern for Japan and its leaders, Dr. Kubo says China might, in fact, be an even more serious threat to Japan's security in the long run. "China is more powerful in many senses and we have pretty serious territorial disputes with China."

Korea is on the minds of many around the world this month. But for the first time in a while, it is not the threat of war between the north and the south that dominates our minds. In fact, North Korea and South Korea’s relationship is experiencing a rare thaw as the Winter Olympics play out in PyeongChang, South Korea.

The opening ceremonies featured teams from both countries marching into the stadium under a unified Korean flag, and the women’s hockey team playing in the winter games includes players from both the north and the south.

Before the Olympics were announced in PyeongChang, most people associated the word Korea with north and south, the DMZ, and nuclear weaponry. However, Saehee Chang asks that you go beyond the headlines and take a closer look at Korean culture.

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